The Rwanda Media High Council (MHC) has singled out lack of access to information as one of elements hindering media practices in the country. This was revealed in the regulatory body’s 40-page report that was made public yesterday, a report that shows the state of the media industry in the country as evaluated in 2008. The report indicates that generally, the industry is “improving.”During a press briefing held on Friday at MHC offices, officials revealed that the report, the second of its kind, seeks to document the progress made by the media in Rwanda, discussing the challenges encountered and scrutinizing the environment for free practice and media development efforts. The report expressively mentions that some media outlets encountered restrictions to access information during the last year, citing the case of a government move to boycott media outlets that include Umuseso, Umuvugizi and Rushyashya newspapers as well as the BBC’s Gahuzamiryango programme. “Although MHC acknowledges that these media outlets have for a long time been publishing unverified, sensational, biased and unfair stories about government, denying them access to information is feared to contribute to unprofessional practice,” the report reads in part. The Council however says they are trying to intervene in order to get rid of this hindrance, noting the ongoing process of establishing the Access to Information Law, whose draft is said to be ready. The report however indicated that last year saw the increase in number of media outlets, citing the coming in of one radio station, five newspapers and one magazine, increasing the number of radio stations in the country to 19 and newspapers to 61. According to the officials in MHC, this shows how the media sector is continuously attracting more investment. The Executive Secretary of MHC, Patrice Mulama, noted that the level of professionalism on behalf of media practitioners is improving, even though there is still a long way to go to reach a sustainable level. “Some media outlets are still lagging behind in terms of accountability,” he said, explaining that some reporters are still confusing the public by not being able to distinguish between news reporting and opinions. According to the report, there were between 430 and 450 registered journalists last year, but about only 27 percent were trained in journalism or communication, which brings the need for more interventions to increase the capacity of media practitioners. The report however highlighted the fact that at the end of the reporting year, there was no journalist who was arrested over his or her profession. Ends
